Red on White
Photo by Amy LV
Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.
Students - Today's poem grew from two similar images that popped up in my life this week. The first one is the new picture on top of this blog. You might have noticed that things look a wee bit different around here, and this is because website designer Donna Farrell is in the process of making my websites beautiful. For this page, she has selected an illustration by Robbin Gourley, from our book, FOREST HAS A SONG. All week I have admiring Donna's choice of Robbin's red house for The Poem Farm.
Then, yesterday, after dropping my children off at the ski lodge for ski club, I passed the small red shed you see above. It looked so beautiful there, just smiling out from white snow. I turned my car right around, stopped, got out, and took the photograph.
So, today's poem came from a picture that repeated itself in my life this week. Sometimes that happens. You know how when you learn a new word, you often hear it over and over again? Suddenly the word is everywhere! This is true with pictures too. There are times when an image just revisits you, almost whispering, "Write about me. Write about me." We must pay attention to these whispering images.
You may have noticed that the house does a lot of things like a person in this poem. It smiles and feels beautiful, snuggles, and has a favorite season. When people write poems, they often give animals and objects human characteristics and feelings. We call this personification, and it's one of my favorite ways to approach a subject. What would this sugar bowl think? How does this bicycle feel? What does it love?
I played with today's poem for quite a while, choosing many color words as I did in The Water Tower, sorting through piles of rhymes, and finally, experimenting with line breaks long and short.
Final Tinkering - Line Breaks
Photo by Amy LV
Donna is hosting today's Poetry Friday party over at Mainely Write. Stop on over for cookies, cocoa, and poems.
Today in our home, we also celebrate Henry's 12th birthday. Here is the poem I wrote for him when he turned nine. Happy birthday, sweet boy! (You can read the Robert Hershon poem I shared in honor of Henry's birthday over at The Poem Farm Facebook Page, the 11th poem shared in 2014 so far.)
If you are interested in receiving a poem each day (my choice, many new favorites) please 'like' my Facebook page for The Poem Farm, and they will pop up each day. So far there have been 11 because I added a special bonus poem for everyone who was snowed in!
Please share a comment below if you wish.
